Packed full of veggies, low in sugar, free from preservatives, high in fibre, protein and prebiotics and downright yum.

This meal is great for starting the day because it’s going to keep your blood sugar levels stable for a while, and keep your tummy full.

I make this for the kids a lot but it’s a regular dinner for he adults too, because it just tastes so good!

This meal works well if you are using baby led weaning, as the beans are a good size for bub to pick up with their hands, and the texture of the sauce is fun to explore. The beans and veg are all soft (check the carrot as depending how small you cut it it could still be a little firm) so it’s okay for babies to mash with their gums. If they’re learning utensils it’s not a slippery meal so fun for them to practice using a spoon. Not into BLW? This meal is fine for you to feed bub as well.

Making your own baked beans isn’t hard to do, and when you cook it in a big batch you’re setting yourself up for success. Great for any meal of the day but one of my favourite quick dinners is to reheat a batch of these baked beans, and sometimes I must serve it with some toast and some extra greens, but often it’s perfect on its own.

If you’re concerned about a bit of windiness from the beans, you can use the dry beans and soak them overnight. This breaks down the phytic acid which is often responsible for causing gas, digestive irritation and to some extent it can bind with minerals. After soaking the beans overnight you will need to rinse them thoroughly and make sure they’re cooked through well.

Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 3 cups beans soaked overnight and rinsed or 2 x 400g can beans rinsed and drained. I like butter beans, cannelloni and kidney beans.
• 2 can diced tomatoes
• 250ml stock or bone broth
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves crushed/finely chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 florets cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 sprig rosemary (finely chopped) and/or thyme

Method

1. Sautee the onion over medium heat until it starts to soften
2. Add the zucchini, carrot, cauliflower and garlic and sautee until they are cooked through.
3. Add the herbs and spices, stir for a minute, then add the beans and tomatoes and stock. Stir through, then bring to the boil.
4. Reduce down to a simmer on low heat, cover and let it cook for 30 minutes or until it’s all at a good consistency.

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Meatballs are such an easy food for toddlers who like to feed themselves, and you can get creative with the ingredients to give kiddo lots of variety. You can sneak veggies in them, which is good if you’ve got a fussy eater, but still handy if you’ve got a little one who doesn’t have teeth to chew up spinach.

I introduced food to both Ash and Lara with baby led weaning techniques. Ash took a few months to get the hang of eating, but Lara seemed to be a champion eater right from the start. It’s an effort to keep up with her appetite!

These meatballs are good if you’re introducing finger food to babies, they’re great for toddlers, and they’re good for adults too.

I make meatballs in big batches and freeze them, reheating a few at a time in the oven to give her for dinner or to put into her lunchbox.

You can have a few variations in the freezer so you can keep it interesting.

I made these meatballs at a time when Lara was about 8 months old, so I wasn’t adding any salt, wheat flour or egg into her food. If you had an older child or you were cooking this for an adult you could add a little salt to season it, however I found it tasted fine as is.

Also, these aren’t just for kids! They taste pretty darn good so if you’re in need of a quick dinner, use them yourself. Just make a quick tomato sauce, throw in the meatballs until they’re heated through and serve alongside some pasta, zucchini noodles, rice.

One of the tricks is to roll them small. It makes it easier for kids to handle, and it’s quicker and easier to cook. Rather than turn them over in the pan with tongs, I just give the pan a good shake every now and then, so they get cooked evenly.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Large handful pork mince (this might be about 300g)
• Small handful wombok
• 1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 brown onion
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Olive oil for cooking

Method

1. Dice the onion very finely or chop in a food processor. Add this to a pan and saute gently over medium heat until softened. Scrape this into a bowl, and then add the chia seeds and a splash of water. (This helps to bind the meatballs as a replacement to egg).
2. Finely chop the wombok or shred in a food processor, then stir through the onion.
3. Add the garlic powder, sesame oil, mince and coriander to the bowl. Mix it all together well with your hands for a few minutes. The more you can work it, the better it will hold together as this breaks the proteins down. Alternatively, you can blend it in a mix master.
4. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then roll about 1 tbsp mixture at a time and add into the pan. Cook them in batches and don’t overfill the pan.

The post Toddler friendly Pork and Wombok Meatballs appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Succulent patties that are rich in nutrients but tasty as heck… I have a recipe for you that offers this!

These days I create meals that can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike, and with a bit of alterations are suitable for a baby that’s just starting to eat (although by the way she is going you’d think she was a eating competition winner in a previous life). And this was a hit!

These patties were so tasty, I made larger patties for hubby and I, smaller patties for Ash and small patties of a mixture without salt for Lara (baby led weaning). Everyone loved them!

Tinned salmon is a great source of calcium and other minerals as the bones can be crushed up and eaten – you won’t even know they’re there. On top of that, it’s so easy to just open a can, smoosh it up and through it together with some other ingredients for an awesome meal. Extra bonus – it’s a very cost effective meal.

I used red salmon and tricolour quinoa but you could use pink salmon or any other colour quinoa if you’d prefer. I cooked the quinoa earlier in the day and let it rest until I was ready to make the patties. If you haven’t cooked quinoa before, I would say it’s just like cooking rice via the absorption method. You want it to be tender but not entirely mooshy. When it cooks, the germ ring becomes visible so it gets a white outline around it.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup quinoa, cooked and then cooled
• 415g can salmon
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• Handful coriander leaves, finely chopped (you could also use dill)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• Rice flour 2 tbsp
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Drain the salmon, and transfer it into a bowl and mash it with a fork to break up the bones
2. Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix together
3. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes
4. Heat a fry pan over medium high heat, then add 2 tbsp olive oil
5. Scoop a small handful of the mixture out and loosely form into a ball then place in the pan. Slightly flatten with a spatula so that it forms a disc shape
6. Fry for about a minors or until it turns golden brown. Turn the patty over and cook until it turns golden brown.
7. Transfer cooked patties to a plate and cook the remaining mixture in batches, adding more oil to the pan in between as needed. After a few batches you might need to turn the heat down in the pan.

Meal ideas :

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